"What? I am pregnant!" The words burst from my mouth. It was an exclamation of shock and incandescent joy, the moment the doctor delivered the news over the phone.
"Yes, Lady Gianna. You are finally pregnant," Dr. Alcott confirmed, her voice carried warmth with professional happiness. "You should now inform your husband. I am sure Prince Lazarus will be thrilled to hear such a joyous news."
"Yes," I whispered, tears of joy instantly blurring my vision. They glistened freely in my eyes. "Please, though, don't tell anyone about this yet," I requested, my voice urgent. I desperately didn't want the news to spread prematurely. I couldn't risk jinxing this precious, fragile hope.
"Of course, Lady Gianna. As a doctor, confidentiality is paramount. I don't share any private information about my clients."
"Thank you." I quickly hung up the call and used the back of my hand to wipe the hot, happy tears from the corner of my eyes. It had been five long years since my marriage to the Fourth Alpha Prince, Lazarus Ashwood, and finally, I was able to give him the one thing we both desired: a pup.
When I first met Lazarus, I never imagined he could be my mate. I was an Omega, a broken wolf who had been discarded by her own family for failing to awaken my wolf or connect with the pack. While working dead-end, part-time jobs, my only ambition was to afford three meals a day. I never thought a royal man by blood like Lazarus would even spare me a glance, let alone accept me and love me so completely.
Yes, Lazarus loved me to the point where all my past sorrows were erased. Thanks to him, I gained a core strength I never knew existed. His love transformed me; it even helped my long-abused wolf finally begin to heal. He gave me a life I hadn't dared to dream of, exceeding my every need. My sole remaining dream was to give him a pup, a bond born from our loyalty and love.
I endured the whispers. I knew the pack gossiped behind our backs, calling me "the barren omega" that Lazarus unwisely chose. I would cry in secret, but he would always find me, wiping my tears and telling me that in this entire world, only I mattered to him.
Finally, with this pregnancy, all those cruel, whispering mouths would be shut down permanently. Lazarus wouldn't have to argue with his parents for me anymore. Because of me, his status within the royal family might even be strengthened.
I smoothed my hands over the fabric of my long skirt, my heart pounding a joyful rhythm against my ribs. I walked out of the room to find Lazarus. He had to be the first person to hear this magnificent news. He needed to know that a part of him, a symbol of our enduring love, was now growing safely inside me.
I hurried through the corridors with joy. The past few days had been so relentlessly stressful for my mate; this miraculous news would undoubtedly uplift his spirits and remind him of everything we had built. I couldn't help but smile wider, my happiness overflowing with every step I took toward him.
I was so focused on finding Lazarus that I failed to watch where I was going, bumping hard into a palace servant in my rush. I immediately paused and offered a heartfelt, "Oh, I am so terribly sorry!" Though true royals wouldn't dream of apologizing to staff, this ingrained habit was a legacy of my past, a reflex born from years of abuse and forced submission.
"Do you know where Lazarus is?" I asked, needing to regain my focus.
"The Fourth Prince is in his study, my lady," the palace servant responded with a respectful bow, unfazed by the collision.
"Oh. Thank you." Lazarus's study was located in the opposite wing of the palace, which explained why I hadn't been able to catch his scent, despite my heightened excitement. If he'd been anywhere nearby, I would have definitely picked up his scent.
I hurried toward his study, my face alight with anticipation, my eyes practically shimmery with unshed tears of joy. However, the moment I stopped at the heavy, carved oak door, ready to burst in and share my secret, my excitement evaporated.
My eyes fell upon a figure inside the room, my elder sister, Astrid.
Why?
That was the first thought that came to my mind.
Astrid had always had her eyes set on Lazarus, and why wouldn't she? They had attended the same prestigious schools and colleges across the kingdom, their lives naturally intertwined. Astrid was always the star student of her time and considered the best female she-wolf, possessing remarkable strength and lineage. Every eligible male desired her, but she never accepted anyone.
I remembered vividly the day I married Lazarus. Astrid had cornered me, her voice dripping with venom. "A broken wolf like you doesn't deserve him," she'd said bitterly to me. She was my own blood sister, yet she never acted like family. Elders are supposed to protect their younger siblings, but Astrid only proved how wrong that assumption could be.
Shoving those poisonous thoughts aside, I took a deep breath and walked into the study.
In that single second, my entire world came violently crashing down.
Lazarus was kissing Astrid.
"Lazarus!" I shouted, my lips quivered, and all my happiness vanished instantly.
"Gianna!" Lazarus exclaimed, tearing his lips away from Astrid's as he spun to face me.
"Why?" I managed to whisper, the single word choked out as tears, hot and relentless, finally broke through.
"Because you never deserved him. You are worthless," Astrid hissed, crossing her arms over her chest, a triumphant, sickening grin splitting her face.
"Shut up and get out of here!" I screamed at my sister, my voice raw with a sudden, desperate fury.
But Astrid didn't budge. She simply held Lazarus's gaze, her look clearly instructing him to finish what they started.
Lazarus turned back to me, and the coldness in his eyes was a blow more painful than any physical strike. "Gianna, I don't think you belong here anymore. So, let's end this. I think we should reject each other."
"What did you say?" My mind reeled. The shock was so profound that my brows furrowed in disbelief. I closed the distance between us in a frantic blur, grabbing the thick fabric of his tunic collar. "Did I make any mistake, Lazarus? Tell me! You can't reject me! We are fated mates! You love me! Don't do this to us, to me, and to the—"
Before I could announce the existence of our pup, before the word "baby" could leave my mouth, Lazarus brutally shoved me off.
I lost my balance completely and crashed hard onto the polished wooden floor.
"I, Lazarus Ashwood, the Fourth Alpha Prince of Aetheria, reject you, Gianna Camora! Accept my rejection and leave!"
The moment those formalized words fell from his mouth, an agonizing, white-hot fire erupted deep within my chest, searing through my very core. My entire being was burning, twisting, and breaking.
"No! No!" I whimpered, shaking my head violently on the floor. This was supposed to be the most beautiful day of my life, the day I announced our greatest joy, so why had it turned into this sickening, horrible nightmare?
"Accept my rejection, Gianna!" His voice was a cruel echo off the walls, and his eyes, stripped of the love I knew, now gleamed a terrible, furious red.
With a trembling voice, I said, "I–I Gianna Camora, accept your rejection, Lazarus Ashwood."
A pain radiated from my heart, and I saw Lazarus turning his back to me. I was whimpering in that agonizing pain of rejection, but Lazarus was unaffected. Where did that love vanish, or was it my illusion all this time?